Hikkaduwa Holidays

If you can drag yourself away from the beach, it’s worth heading out for a bit of culture to visit the Buddhist temple of Gangarama Maha Vihara, known for its many paintings completed by one man over the course of many years. Another culturally fascinating visit would be to the Seenigama Vihara temple. Located about 2km north of Hikkaduwa on its own private island in the ocean, it is one of only two temples in Sri Lanka where victims of theft can come to seek retribution.

If you don’t mind getting up early, and spending a full day way from the beach, try a jungle adventure and hike into the primeval Sinharaja Rainforest. Sri Lanka’s oldest and last tropical rainforest and where you will find a variety of wildlife, insects, butterflies and enormous trees with evergreen canopies. It can be quite wet here, not surprisingly, but the best time to visit is between February and April as this is when the rains are less frequent.

In December 2004, one of the world’s worst natural disasters in recent history occurred. The tsunami following the Indonesian earthquake on boxing day affected many countries and Hikkaduwa was one of the worst affected areas in Sri Lanka. Just north of the town, you will find this ramshackle, private museum which tells the story of this disaster through photographs and newspaper features. The displays may be badly lit and poorly displayed but the images here will give you a greater understanding of the suffering that ensued.

As with any cool, hip beach resorts, there is a great choice of street food, restaurants and bars in Hikkaduwa. One of the coolest spots is the Drunken Monkey Bar, a traditional beachfront bar and restaurant where you can enjoy a lazy afternoon. Whether you’d prefer a lunchtime pizza and a cool beer in the afternoon, a sunset cocktail or a more traditional local dinner in the evening, we recommend giving this place a try.